the fun police...

this morning on my way into work I took the long way

okay... let me back up
this morning on my way in to pick up a few hours at my old job I threw my leg over the bike
having a few minutes before my late shift in time I pointed North rather than South in an effort to get a little exercise on the bike

down through Mount Pleasant and into Rock Creek Park on what may be Beach Drive

I was feeling a little sluggish...
which was not entirely dissimilar to how I felt on the bike a few days prior
not having any exercise to speak of I do not expect my riding to be anything but slow and sluggish unless I pick up the pace... the intensity... the duration... and the frequency of my riding

on the winding road of Rock Creek Park I was passed by a Park Police officer
he did not pass obnoxiously close
he did not pass obnoxiously fast
he just passed me and went along his way

then just ahead after the next turn he was stopped with the lights flashing
after checking to see that it was clear to pass in the left lane I rolled past
as I rolled forward I did the usual thing that people do
I "rubber necked"

on the old stone bridge in Rock Creek Park a couple sat
leaned along side the bridge was their tandem bicycle
as I passed I saw the man jump from the bridge onto the road and briskly move his bicycle off the bridge
by this time I was gone

I thought to myself of conversations I had had days prior with my children about "fishing from bridges"
and how it is illegal because is it is an awkward mix having people driving on the bridges and coming upon a person standing on that bridge
I figured this fell into a similar situation

a few miles later as I was about to pass the Park Police station in Rock Creek Park a number of cars passed me...
a few cars... but not the Park Police car
this had me thinking... what sort of conversation had developed
was there an issue with the bicyclists behavior?

it amused me...
as each of these cars passed
they passed at a rate of speed exceeding the speed limit
which is not so ordinary... while the behavior on the bridge was out of the ordinary
was the behavior of the people with their tandem bicycle any more risky than the speeding cars passing me?

of course...
I have no idea what was happening miles behind me
all I had was my imagination to fill in the blank
more than likely there was a gentle exchange
the officer more than likely explained why it is a hazard to do what they were doing and what the penalty is for doing such a thing
why he had not passed me yet?
not sure

I just continued on my ride
taking Beach Drive until it becomes Jones Bridge... or is that Jones Mill? I always forget
turning on the Capital Crescent Trail and taking the multi-use trail down towards Georgetown where I was able to zig zag through car traffic into work